Scientific competence during medical education - insights from a cross-sectional study at a German Medical School.

BACKGROUND: Medical knowledge regarding the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of diseases is constantly evolving. To effectively incorporate these findings into professional practice, it is crucial that scientific competencies are a central component of medical education. This study seeks to analyse the current state of scientific education and students' desires for integration into the curriculum. METHODS: From October to December 2022, a survey was distributed at the Medical Faculty Dresden to all medical students from the 1st to 5th academic year (AY). The survey investigates current expectations of applying scientific competencies later in professional life, and the students were asked to self-assess various scientific skills and in relation to the National Competence Based Catalogue of Learning Objectives for Undergraduate Medical Education. The self-assessments were objectified through a competence test with ten multiple-choice questions. The desire for curricular teaching was inquired. RESULTS: 860 students completed the survey. This corresponds to a response rate of 64%. In the 5th AY, approximately 80% of the participants stated that they expected to work with scientific literature on a daily to monthly basis in future professional life and to communicate corresponding scientific findings to patients. Only 30-40% of the 5th AY rate their scientific competencies as sufficient to do this appropriately. This corresponds with the self-assessed competencies that only slightly increased over the 5 AYs from 14.1 ± 11.7 to 21.3 ± 13.8 points (max. 52) and is also reflected in the competence test (1st AY 3.6 ± 1.75 vs. 5th AY 5.5 ± 1.68, max. 10 points). Half of the students in the 4th and 5th AYs were dissatisfied with the current teaching of scientific skills. The majority preferred the implementation of a science curriculum (56%), preferably as seminars dealing with topics such as literature research, analysis, and science communication. CONCLUSIONS: The results show discrepancies between expectations of using scientific knowledge in everyday professional life, self-rated and objectively recorded competencies, and the current state of curricular teaching of scientific competencies. There is a strong need for adequate practical training, particularly in critical analyses of scientific literature, which enables the communication of scientific knowledge to patients.

Non-Destructive Near-Infrared Technology for Efficient Cannabinoid Analysis in Cannabis Inflorescences.

In the evolving field of cannabis research, scholars are exploring innovative methods to quantify cannabinoids rapidly and non-destructively. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a hand-held near-infrared (NIR) device for quantifying total cannabidiol (total CBD), total delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (total THC), and total cannabigerol (total CBG) in whole cannabis inflorescences. Employing pre-processing techniques, including standard normal variate (SNV) and Savitzky-Golay (SG) smoothing, we aim to optimize the portable NIR technology for rapid and non-destructive cannabinoid analysis. A partial least-squares regression (PLSR) model was utilized to predict cannabinoid concentration based on NIR spectra. The results indicated that SNV pre-processing exhibited superior performance in predicting total CBD concentration, yielding the lowest root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 2.228 and the highest coefficient of determination for prediction (R2P) of 0.792. The ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) for total CBD was highest (2.195) with SNV. In contrast, raw data exhibited the least accurate predictions for total THC, with an R2P of 0.812, an RPD of 2.306, and an RMSEP of 1.651. Notably, total CBG prediction showed unique characteristics, with raw data yielding the highest R2P of 0.806. SNV pre-processing emerges as a robust method for precise total CBD quantification, offering valuable insights into the optimization of a hand-held NIR device for the rapid and non-destructive analysis of cannabinoid in whole inflorescence samples. These findings contribute to ongoing efforts in developing portable and efficient technologies for cannabinoid analysis, addressing the increasing demand for quick and accurate assessment methods in cannabis cultivation, pharmaceuticals, and regulatory compliance.

c-Cbl Regulates Murine Subventricular Zone-Derived Neural Progenitor Cells in Dependence of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor.

The localization, expression, and physiological role of regulatory proteins in the neurogenic niches of the brain is fundamental to our understanding of adult neurogenesis. This study explores the expression and role of the E3-ubiquitin ligase, c-Cbl, in neurogenesis within the subventricular zone (SVZ) of mice. In vitro neurosphere assays and in vivo analyses were performed in specific c-Cbl knock-out lines to unravel c-Cbl's role in receptor tyrosine kinase signaling, including the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway. Our findings suggest that c-Cbl is significantly expressed within EGFR-expressing cells, playing a pivotal role in neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation. However, c-Cbl's function extends beyond EGFR signaling, as its loss upon knock-out stimulated progenitor cell proliferation in neurosphere cultures. Yet, this effect was not detected in hippocampal progenitor cells, reflecting the lack of the EGFR in the hippocampus. In vivo, c-Cbl exerted only a minor proneurogenic influence with no measurable impact on the formation of adult-born neurons. In conclusion, c-Cbl regulates neural stem cells in the subventricular zone via the EGFR pathway but, likely, its loss is compensated by other signaling modules in vivo.

Unequal contribution of two paralogous CENH3 variants in cowpea centromere function.

In most diploids the centromere-specific histone H3 (CENH3), the assembly site of active centromeres, is encoded by a single copy gene. Persistance of two CENH3 paralogs in diploids species raises the possibility of subfunctionalization. Here we analysed both CENH3 genes of the  diploid dryland crop cowpea. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that gene duplication of CENH3 occurred independently during the speciation of Vigna unguiculata. Both functional CENH3 variants are transcribed, and the corresponding proteins are intermingled in subdomains of different types of centromere sequences in a tissue-specific manner together with the kinetochore protein CENPC. CENH3.2 is removed from the generative cell of mature pollen, while CENH3.1 persists. CRISPR/Cas9-based inactivation of CENH3.1 resulted in delayed vegetative growth and sterility, indicating that this variant is needed for plant development and reproduction. By contrast, CENH3.2 knockout individuals did not show obvious defects during vegetative and reproductive development. Hence, CENH3.2 of cowpea is likely at an early stage of pseudogenization and less likely undergoing subfunctionalization.